Abstract

Compulsive buying is a dysfunctional consumer behavior, a chronic failure to control the urge to purchase products and services. The two main goals of this study were to explore whether gender was  a significant predictor of compulsive buying behavior and to determine the effect of two particular predispositional factors (anxiety, depression) on compulsive buying. The primary data for this study was obtained from a questionnaire that was administered in the capital city of Ankara. A convenience sample of three hundred and fourteen respondents participated in the study. Independent sample t - test, correlational and regression analyses were conducted for data analysis. The empirical findings showed that there are marked differences in compulsive buying tendencies of Turkish women and men, and factors such as age and anxiety are strongly related to compulsive buying behavior.

Key words: Compulsive buying, purchasing, consumer behavior, Turkish market.